Petunia plant named ‘Sunraspberry’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Petunia  plant named ‘Sunraspberry’, characterized by its outwardly spreading and decumbent plant habit; vigorous and freely branching growth habit; relatively small leaves; numerous light pink-colored flowers with red purple-colored venation; long flowering period; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Petunia×hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Sunraspberry’.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is co-pending with U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 11/050,885, Petunia Plant Named ‘Sunmilk’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant, botanically known as Petunia×hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Sunraspberry.

The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventors in Yokaichi, Shiga, Japan. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Petunias with numerous flowers with attractive flower colors.

The new Petunia originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventors in December, 2000 of a proprietary Petunia selection identified as code number PF 165-1, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary Petunia selection identified as code number PF 171-1, not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The new Petunia was selected as a single plant from the resulting progeny of the cross-pollination by the Inventors in a controlled environment in Yokaichi, Shiga, Japan.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings in a controlled environment in Yokaichi, Shiga, Japan since October, 2003 has shown that the unique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Sunraspberry have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Sunraspberry’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Sunraspberry’ as a new and distinct Petunia cultivar:

-   -   1. Outwardly spreading and decumbent plant habit.     -   2. Vigorous and freely branching growth habit.     -   3. Relatively small leaves.     -   4. Numerous light pink-colored flowers with red purple-colored         venation.     -   5. Long flowering period.     -   6. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Petunia differ from plants of the female and male parent selections in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Petunia are broader than plants of the         female or the male parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Petunia have obtuse-shaped petals whereas         plants of the female and male parent selections have         truncate-shaped petals.     -   3. Plants of the new Petunia and the female and male parent         selections differ in flower coloration.

Plants of the new Petunia can be compared to plants of the cultivar Sunrove, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat No. 14,125. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Yokaichi, Shiga, Japan, plants of the new Petunia differed from plants of the cultivar Sunrove in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Petunia were not as broad as plants of the         cultivar Sunrove.     -   2. Plants of the new Petunia had smaller leaves than plants of         the cultivar Sunrove.     -   3. Plants of the new Petunia had smaller flowers than plants of         the cultivar Sunrove.     -   4. Plants of the new Petunia and the cultivar Sunrove differed         in flower coloration.     -   5. Plants of the new Petunia flowered longer than plants of the         cultivar Sunrove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Petunia.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Sunraspberry’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view of typical flowers of ‘Sunraspberry’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Yokaichi, Shiga, Japan, in an outdoor nursery during the summer with day temperatures about 22° C. and night temperatures about 12° C. Plants were grown for four months in 15-cm containers. Plants were pinched one time in the spring. Color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Petunia×hybrida cultivar Sunraspberry. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female parent.—Proprietary Petunia selection identified as             code number PF 165-1, not patented.         -   Male parent.—Proprietary Petunia selection identified as             code number PF 171-1, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About one week at 18° C.         -   Time to develop roots.—About three weeks at 18° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous, fleshy; light brown in             color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Form.—Annual flowering plant; indeterminate; outwardly             spreading and decumbent plant habit. Viscid and glandular             pubescent. Vigorous growth habit.         -   Branching habit.—Freely branching habit with lateral             branches developing potentially at every node.         -   Plant height.—About 10.6 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 26.9 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 14 cm. Diameter: About             1.7 mm. Internode length: About 1.4 cm. Texture: Pubescent.             Color: 146A.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple;             sessile. Length: About 2.9 cm. Width: About 1.9 cm. Shape:             Elliptic. Apex: Acute. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Sparsely pubescent;             viscid. Venation pattern: Pinnate; reticulate. Color:             Developing and fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 146A.             Developing and fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 144A.             Venation, upper and lower surfaces: Similar to lamina. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type and habit.—Single salverform flowers; flowers             face mostly upward or outward; axillary. Flowers not             persistent. Freely flowering habit.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants flower from spring through             late autumn in Japan; flowering continuous during this             period.         -   Flower longevity on the plant.—About five days.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Flower size.—Diameter: About 4.5 cm. Length: About 5 cm.         -   Flower buds.—Length: About 4 cm. Diameter: About 1 cm.             Shape: Cylindrical. Color: N155B.         -   Corolla.—Quantity/arrangement: Five petals; fused,             funnelform. Petal shape: Roughly spatulate or fan-shaped.             Petal apex: Cuspidate. Petal margin: Entire. Petal texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Smooth; satiny. Color: Petal,             upper surface, when developing and fully expanded: 62D;             venation, 78B. Petal, lower surface, when developing and             fully expanded: N155B; venation, 79B. Flower throat             (inside): 154C. Flower tube (outside): 144D.         -   Sepals.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five sepals             fused at base, star-shaped. Length: About 1 cm. Width: About             3 mm. Shape: Oblong. Apex: Obtuse. Margin: Entire. Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color, immature and             mature, upper surface: 146A. Color, immature and mature,             lower surface: 146B.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 1.6 cm. Width: About 0.9 mm.             Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color:             144A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity: Five per flower.             Anther shape: Ellipsoidal. Anther length: About 2 mm. Anther             color: 147D. Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color: 1C.             Pistils: Quantity: One per flower. Pistil length: About             2 cm. Style length: About 1.8 cm. Style color: 145B. Stigma             shape: Broadly elliptic. Stigma color: 146C. Ovary color:             144A.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit development have not been             observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Petunia have not been     noted to be resistant to specific pathogens and pests common to     Petunia. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Petunia have been observed to     have good garden performance and tolerate rain, wind and tolerated     temperatures from 5° C. to 35° C. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named ‘Sunraspberry’, as illustrated and described. 